Manahawkin Student Helps Revive Stockton's EMS Group

GALLOWAY, NJ — A global pandemic may have tried to put a stop to Stockton University's Emergency Medical Services organization, but a small group of students, including one from Manahawkin, have resuscitated the program.

When 2022 began, graduate student Geldy Nunez was the organization’s only member, according to a school news release.

“When we were shut down out of nowhere in spring 2020, we didn’t know how to respond,” said Nunez, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice in 2021 and is studying to get her masters in the same subject. “We tried to do training over zoom. But it’s just not feasible when you are trying to show how you stop someone from bleeding if you don’t have something to train on.”

She said it was difficult to see an organization that had helped Stockton since 2011 fade away, but with the help of Albert Handy, the associate director of Campus Public Safety, Nunez has rebuilt the organization to include about 20 students this fall.

“Earlier this year, we determined that this was a program that we wanted to get back up and running because it is an important and helpful public safety service for the university,” Handy said.

One of the first students that Nunez (now the group's captain) recruited was Sean Regan, a sophomore Nursing major from Manahawkin. Regan was already an emergency medical technician (EMT) when he came to Stockton, and he first heard of the campus EMS four years ago when he toured the school.

Back then, the had 40 to 50 EMT members working standby on duty crews out of the campus police department in case of an emergency, the school said. Crews would also staff more than 20 university events a semester, such as games, club meetings or open houses. Although Galloway Ambulance Squad is the primary responder for medical emergencies, Stockton EMS would often respond to medical calls to initiate care until Galloway EMS could arrive with an ambulance if necessary.

The group hasn't answered any calls yet, but Regan (now a lieutenant in the EMS) wants to get the group there, possibly by spring 2023.

“My biggest goal is to get the staff back in order, get people trained and have people start working independently as their own EMTs,” Regan said. “I want to get people introduced, get people involved and let the students of Stockton know we are back, we exist and we are here to help.”

Five new members were sworn-in during the December meeting.

Interested students do not need prior EMT training; the club does some during its monthly meetings, and Regan hopes to send students to EMT school to get certified as the group's numbers grow.

“We are looking for anybody and everybody. It’s doesn’t matter what your major is or where you are in your degree process,” Regan said. “Experience is definitely not something you need. We all start somewhere, right?”

Handy said that while any student can join the EMS club, to serve as an active member of Stockton EMS, you must be a certified EMT or be certified in first aid, CPR and how to use an automated external defibrillator. Members will receive additional training and competency assessments as part of their introduction to the program.

For more information or how to sign up for Stockton EMS, go to stockton.edu/ems.